• What are your holiday plans? Looking at the Christmas lights? Volunteering at a shelter? Getting away from it all? Some of us love the holidays and for some they are painful, but at the very least they are a reminder to be kind to our fellow humans and creatures at the time of the year when the days are the darkest, but growing light.
• Ginger McCall, Oregon’s first-ever public records advocate, recently published her findings on the state of public records in Oregon. McCall’s report concluded that there are barriers in obtaining public records, thus working against transparency. One of these barriers is the high cost of fees and long delays in disclosing public records. Furthermore, the reasoning for high fees is often not disclosed to the public, the report added. EW has found this to be true when dealing with the city of Eugene. Mayor Lucy Vinis has said in the past that she wants to see more transparency. However, the city does not provide EW with a fee waiver or discount for public records requests because newspapers are a “commercial venture.” That contrasts with the University of Oregon, which often provides records to media outlets for free or with a media discount. Looks like the powers that be at the city should add McCall’s report to their winter reading lists.
• Police Chief Chris Skinner dropped by EW’s offices this week. Seriously, we didn’t do anything, it was an unannounced social call. As we chatted we learned an interesting tidbit about Eugene Police Department vehicles. Ever notice — and get aggravated by — the way the EPD cars will often have their engines running even when no one is in them? Skinner tells us it’s a failsafe that keeps the in-car computer and systems booted up. The cars will fire up the engine on their own to keep the electronics from running the battery down.
• Eleven community members offered their “gifts to the city” on Dec. 14 at the City Club of Eugene. Alice Gentry most impressed us: A woman who has been homeless, she said she spoke for the residents of Opportunity Village and Square One Villages in asking for a gift of at least 5,000 low-cost housing units in Eugene. Pastor Dan Bryant was the master of ceremonies and when the inspiring holiday program ended, we decided that he is indeed a gift to our city.
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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